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Araf
|kanji = アラフ |rōmaji = Arafu |alias = "Antithesis Dragon Slayer" (対極のドラゴンスレ, Taikyoku no Doragon Sureiyā) "True Dragon Slayer" (真のドラゴンスレイヤー, Shin no Doragon Sureiyā) "Grimmy" (グリミー, Gurimī) |color = Black |text = Gold |name = Araf |race = Human ( ) |gender = Male |age = 19 |height = 180cm |weight = 73kg |hair = Silver |eyes = Gold |birthday = May 20 |blood type = AB |affiliation = Dragon Soul |previous affiliation = Barzakh Village |partner = Jadis Lissandra Elise Ardere |mark location = Back |occupation = |base of operations = |previous occupation = Barzakh Warrior |status = Active |relatives = Kaliya (Foster Father, Deceased) Unnamed Parents Unnamed Older Sibling |magic = Tenebrous Dragon Slayer Magic}} Araf (アラフ, Arafu) is a under the banner of Dragon Soul, and a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer. Born into Barzakh Village located in Seven, Araf was born for the sole purpose of being a sacrifice to the "Great Dragon" Kaliya. Much to his surprise, all the Dragon wished for was to pass on his legendary powers to another. Araf, being given a purpose to live, put his entire soul into gaining the Dragon's , and was the only child of hundreds that had lived through fighting their inner darkness. Kaliya, pleased with this outcome, gave all of his remaining power to the young Araf and became a lifeless corpse. Unsure of what to do with his life from therein, Araf returned to the village with the head of Kaliya and was worshiped as the "True Dragon Slayer" (真のドラゴンスレイヤー, Shin no Doragon Sureiyā) before he could speak of the truth. Those who sent him off as a sacrifice soon showered him with praise, attention and love...and it was stifling. For years, he tolerated the village's pretense for the sake of killing the shadow creatures formed by Kaliya's failed students. Then, disillusioned with the nature of people, he left to find a new home and purpose. While the circumstances of his eventual alliance with Dragon Soul aren't clear, Araf states it was the "only place where he could feel comfortable," even if their goals are far beyond Araf's own ambitions. Appearance Araf, even among other Dragon Slayers, shows a peculiarity within his appearance. Everything from his physique to the coloration of his physical features emanates exhaustion: something Araf is quite familiar with. Indeed, as a consequence of harboring so many conflicting souls within his Magic — thus his body — Araf's physical appearance has been drained of a significant amount of life. Even so, Araf is a perfectly healthy individual when it comes to his physicality: mentally, on the other hand...is a debatable question. Araf's most striking feature is the white coloration of his hair. It is cut relatively short and is slightly wavy, courtesy of his regular hairdresser Susanne. In contrast, Araf is noted for his very bright golden eyes, which are tinged with a dark shade, as if indicative of the dark emotions that plague him. Continuing with his physical traits associated with albino individuals, Araf is noted to have very pale skin that, in addition to his almost skeletal physique, makes him appear visibly very weak. Despite his reputation and upbringing, Araf seems to possess a very refined fashion sense. He attributes this to his, now regular tailor, Frederic, who gifted him the outfit prior to Araf joining Dragon Soul. It is a simple, albeit elegant display of Araf's unusual noble-like visage. The outfit's coloration is a dark grey, and is a three-piece tuxedo that has cloud-like patterns across the jacket's sleeves and inner collar. Noticeably, irrespective of his attire, he is bound to wear long sleeves. After all, his voluntary self-harm to mitigate the presence of the Shadow within his power has lead him to be rather conscious about the fact. Given that the scars are across his forearms, he is also quite sensitive if someone attempts to pull up his sleeves as well, making physical contact with him quite difficult. Over his suit, Araf is noted to wear a similarly colored cloak that is drawn from a large medal-like attachment hooked underneath his collar much like a tie. To complete the look he wears a complementary hat with similar design elements — silver buttons and medal — across its side. Overall, his attire is befitting of a nobleman's disposition regardless if his appearance betrays expectations. Personality Relationships Dragon Soul Araf considers Dragon Soul ( , Doragon Sōru) to be his home. Irrespective of their motivations, Araf finds comfort in knowing that he won't be persecuted for his identity nor be treated with fake emotions. Despite not fully agreeing with their methods, Araf devotes his mind, body and soul to the Guild for the sake of repaying their kindness. Among the plethora of members, however, Araf finds himself resonating with specific individuals out of an odd personality dynamic or by simple happenstance. Genghis Breningoch: Genghis is a man that Araf respects highly, irrespective of his position among the Guild or his objectives. Araf's first meeting with Genghis, and subsequent recruitment into Dragon Soul, was rather awkward. He was forced to pin Genghis down long enough so that he could absorb a Tenebrae ( Teneburei; lit. "Devouring Shadow") in time to ensure the residential district of was not excessively harmed. However, Araf's momentary lapse of concentration caused him to lose control over the partially absorbed Tenebrae, leading Genghis to subdue it long enough for Araf to successfully assimilate its power into his body. Recognizing Araf as a potential ally, given his status as a Dragon Slayer, he invited him into the Guild out of compulsion, if anything. Initially, Araf's struggles with maintaining the sudden influx of power within him lead him to be isolated from Genghis. As a consequence of eventually losing control over the new Tenebrae's power, Genghis was forced to suppress Araf's manic impulse for the sake of protecting his Guild. Shocked that Genghis would go so far for someone initially deemed as a tool, Araf's life was soon indebted to the man and he would follow his every demand with no question. Beyond this, Araf and Genghis hold a relatively amicable relationship. While by no means excessively social with one another, they seemingly understand one's thoughts through simple glances, seemingly as a result of mutual respect on both ends. Despite being fully aware of Genghis' almost tyrannical goals, he still believes that his motivations are pure and he is, in-fact, a genuinely kindhearted person by way of his deeds, despite his awry perspective. Nonetheless, he continues to follow Genghis, both to pay his debt and out of a personal desire to see the future he is lead to. Jadis Lissandra: Perhaps one of his fondest relationships within the Guild is with its youngest member, Jadis. Due to being assigned, rather randomly, as the young girl's babysitter, he soon took to becoming quite close with her. Jadis has a tendency to refer to Araf as "Araf-nii" (アラフ兄, Arafu-nii), which Araf reciprocates kindly. Jadis and Araf's eventual fondness with one another came about rather sporadically, as Jadis was immediately entranced by the appearance of Araf's suit, and soon froze it so that "it would never rot." Genghis, amused by Jadis' fascination with Araf, melted the ice and soon made Araf her guardian, much to his surprise. From therein, Araf often was subject to Jadis' play, which generally involved a lot of exhausting escapes from Jadis' Frozen Dragon Slayer Magic. At some point, Araf would introduce her to his lifestyle, taking her out to Oak Town's residential district and having her play with kids her own age while he went about his own business. Likewise, he also introduced Jadis to home-cooked meals, and soon became quite protective of the little girl that once was quite annoying. Araf finds himself often berating Genghis regarding how he has brought up Jadis, leading to Genghis often sighing in response. Notably, it was because of Jadis praising Araf's culinary skills that he pursued the endeavor further, and inadvertently became the Guild's chef — much to his enjoyment. Jadis, while being unaware of Araf's condition, often finds herself attempting to cheer him up due to a "sad look in his eyes," favors much appreciated by her occasionally melancholic guardian. Likewise Araf, who was not given attention towards his development as a child, seemingly bears forth his regrets by caring very strictly for Jadis as a guardian, even if it does cause her to get a little mad at him. Razia Sultana: Razia, as the Guild's joker in a way, was one of the few people to actively approach Araf and try to befriend him. Irrespective of his power, status and conditions, Razia approached him because she found him to be "too damn mopey and needed some breast therapy." Of course, given Araf's relentless refusal of this offer, Razia instead compromised by regularly calling him "Grimmy" (グリミー, Gurimī), a nickname Araf has gotten quite used to. Notably, much like Jadis, Razia finds Araf's outfit fascinating. Of course, rather than freezing it after the opportunity presents itself, Razia instead clings to him and begs for a chance to wear it, despite Araf's disapproval. After some time, Araf actually took Razia to Frederic, who not only let Razia sample a specifically tailored version of Araf's suit, but plenty of other outfits. Araf and Razia have a relatively casual relationship, with Razia's inappropriate sense of humor and friendship with Jadis often leading to amusing situations. It should be of note that it is precisely because of Razia's enormous appetite that Araf forces her to come on monster hunts with him, to procure the necessary amount of Jewels needed to feed her and the rest of the Guild. Their frequent partnership on these hunts has lead to a mutual respect of each other's powers and a good synergy between them. Dealok: As the Guild Ace of Dragon Soul, Araf highly respects Dealok's position and authority. While by no means as fraternal with Dealok as he is with Genghis, given that Dealok is one of the few individuals in the Guild to know of Araf's conditions, there is a mutual respect between them. However, from Dealok's perspective, Araf needs to open up a bit more about his issues and not burden himself with the weight of so many lives. The Guild Ace finds his power to be immense but his kindness too easily taken advantage of, and seemingly fears for Araf's future because he Dealok is reminded of his son. While Araf is not aware of what significance Araf has to Dealok's life, he is grateful for the man's concern but often tells him that "after living a life that was made to be sacrificed, being able to do something for others out of my own free will is the only happiness I could have." Elise Ardere: Nicholas Evans: Oak Town Residents History Twinkling Lights, Endless Shadow Araf was born in Barzakh Village within the country, Seven. He was the accidental second child of his parents that ended up being bred solely as a sacrifice to the "Great Dragon" Kaliya. As a result, Araf's early childhood was nothing more than the bare minimum. His parents had no affection for him, and his elder sibling was told to distance himself from Araf. He was given minimal food and was sheltered in a separate residence from his so-called family. Due to the nature of this conditioning, Araf possessed very little emotional attachment to anybody and, accordingly, lived a very underwhelming childhood until he was sent to be sacrificed at the cave of the Great Dragon. Entering the cave on his lonesome with no life in his eyes, Araf didn't even consider to scan the horizons as a stalagmite lost its holding from the top of the cave and was headed directly towards Araf's head. In the nick of time, an overwhelming shadow encased him in pitch-black armor that shattered the falling needle of rock, saving Araf's life in the process. Araf, for the first time, displayed visible shock and emotion as expected of a child and, soon, tears streamed down his eyes from all the pain that he had lived through in his small life. For, before this, he suppressed his emotions through constantly reiterating that "life is meaningless". Yet, here he was, about to be alleviated of all this neglect...and he didn't wish to leave? Unable to understand the answers to his thousands of questions, he continued to move forward, hoping that he would find his answers by the entity that was supposed to represent his death. Soon, a shadow larger than the world he had ever known appeared, drowning his vision in darkness. As his head peered upwards, all he could see was the scaled, titanic visage of a reptilian creature. Its eyes were glistening a white that shone in contrast with everything else in the cave, but as its head descended, Araf could see it was a pale white, devoid of almost all of its life. Those eyes...almost seemed like his own. Before the Dragon could even speak a word, Araf tightly held onto its face and cried, leaving the Dragon perplexed. This child was crying, not to save his own life...but because he Araf felt pity for himself, a dying Dragon? It was an unbelievable sensation, to be pitied by a young boy. Kaliya looked towards the young child and asked for his name, and as Araf responded, Kaliya knew exactly what this boy's purpose in life was. He was meant to be a sacrifice, like all the other Araf that came before him...and had died in turn. Kaliya explained his situation to the young boy, and had also told the story of how all the other children sent to him had "died." Likewise, he explained why he must pass on his Magic, giving only a young child a true visage of war. But at the same time, Araf knew that he must take this opportunity. After all...he finally had a purpose. And so, without hesitation, Araf took upon the teachings of the Dragon with full fervor with the intent of succeeding the compassionate man's will. His initial training lasted for approximately a year, in which time Araf learned about the world, and his very own Tenebrous Dragon Slayer Magic. It was undoubted, however, that the struggle of obtaining a Dragon's power would appear before Araf, and so it did. The very Shadow that he sought to control wrested away from his control in an attempt to devour its Master. The Shadow was the embodiment of all of Araf's primal instincts, his desires and his rage bottled into a form that gave him power...but at a cost. Should Araf not be able to suppress his inner feelings, those very emotions will devour him, causing him to become a monstrosity. However, if there was one thing Araf was, it was determined. The feeling of debt to his savior soon coursed his body with powerful shadows of his own, independent of those forged from his primal instincts, and soon allowed him to subdue and once again assimilate the part of himself that sought to devour him. In turn, Araf's body had fundamentally changed. No longer was his shadow simply a reflection of the light he emitted, but rather, it was a core extension of his being, though it was a finicky one indeed. Fickle Lights, Receding Shadow Kaliya was pleased with this outcome. No longer did he have to show humans that he was threatening in order to obtain potential students. He could pass on his lingering regrets and desires to the boy who inherited them all, even if he knew full well the burden that he was placing upon his mind, body and soul. Calling Araf to his side once more, Kaliya explained the truth about the former sacrifices, and his desire to atone for his sins. But Kaliya could no longer do more than lift a finger. All of his Magic was devoted to keeping his body alive, but with a successor, even being alive was no longer relevant. Araf understood Kaliya's intentions, even if it meant bearing an incredible burden on his shoulders. With a simple tap from Kaliya's head to Araf's own, the young man bore witness to all of the memories the elderly Dragon had experienced within his life. He was recipient to all of his emotions, of peace, of war...of regret. Likewise, he was witness to, and the recipient of, the incredible amount of power that the dying Dragon had possessed. All of that time ran past his mind in the blink of an eye...and Kaliya was no longer living. All of the Dragon's remaining strength was granted to the young Dragon Slayer, and all that lay before him was a corpse. A lifeless husk of what was a truly magnificent being. As per Kaliya's request, Araf soon detached Kaliya's head from his body and began to return to the village. On his way to the end of the cave, he met another child who had been sacrificed, with the same lifeless look in his eyes that Araf once had. Presenting the gargantuan head that Araf was dragging behind him, the child ran back to the village to inform the elders. Araf nonchalantly continued to walk towards the village with the Dragon's trophy behind him, knowing full well his only intentions were to gain a secure ground to find and rid the Tenebrae of their suffering. Upon reaching the village, Araf was congratulated with a massive feast, given the highest honors and landed a position of prestige almost immediately, despite only a year having passed since they sacrificed him. Nonetheless, with the death of the Dragon, the village abolished the practice of sacrifice, and the kids who were groomed to be sacrificed were instead treated much like real individuals again... Red Flames, Warm Shadow Synopsis Magic and Abilities Tenebrous Dragon Slayer Magic (黒影の滅竜魔法, Kokuei no Metsuryū Mahō), alternatively known as Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (影の滅竜魔法, Kage no Metsuryū Mahō) is a of the variety that deals with, what practitioners refer to as, the "shadow of one's self" (自分の影, jibun no kage). Following the death of Kaliya, Araf's tutor, and the absorption of the countless Tenebrae Araf has absorbed into his being, the Dragon Soul Mage is the sole user of this Magic. Dragons are beings of incredulous, law-defying power: their very essence is the materialization of the world's elements captured within a specifically tailored physical body. Dragons are commonly created with physical elements that compose the world, such as the four classical elements and those regularly found in nature. However, a Tenebrous Dragon is born from the shadows of the world. It is a very personification of her hidden emotions and power. Even among Dragons, Tenebrous Dragons are an extreme rarity due to the nature of their creation and are regarded by their brethren as harbingers of misfortune. What defines the power of a Tenebrous Dragon is not their destructive ability or any obscure supporting skills, but rather, the conditions that are attached to the Magic's use. All who wish to seek the secrets of a Tenebrous Dragon must be prepared to truly understand the nature of one's shadows — one's "power of darkness" (闇の力, yami no chikara). All entities in the world possess the power of darkness. It is a dormant, fearsome power that resides in the hearts of all. It possesses no inherent alignment, contrary to common depiction, but the fact that it lies dormant means that a person's most undesirable traits are generally sealed with it unconsciously. However, one's darkness, appearing in the form of their shadow, can only be described as a place of infinity within emptiness (空中無限, Kūchū Mugen). The darkness and shadows are empty, abstract existences that do not possess any physical characteristics nor bearing on the world, and yet are able to influence one's individual power through the channeling of one's innermost depths, which exists in nigh infinity. Perhaps the most vivid example of the power of darkness lies within the , in which a practitioner must succumb to the depths of their darkness — apathy towards life itself — in order to realize the true depths of their power. It is then fitting, that one's shadow may only be realized in the physical world with a source of light: in this sense, the darkness almost acts as a parasite, feeding on an individual's light in order to one day devour it. It is in capitalizing the unique existence of shadows that a Tenebrous Dragon may draw upon its incredible power. Specifically, one materializes their power of darkness through their shadow and, in doing so, all of their negative emotions alongside it. The shadow takes upon a separate personality which is constantly attempting to drown out the host personality in its power. This separation of personality enables a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer to drown themselves in their own shadow and travel in a dimension outside of the physical world. The speed in which one may travel as a shadow is on-par with that of a Teleportation Magic user, considering that shadows are not bound by physical laws of movement. Moreover, they are also capable of cloaking themselves in said shadow while in the physical realm, maintaining intangibility through similar means. That being said, in order to interact with the physical world and make any offensive maneuver, they must break free from the intangibility, thus allowing significantly skilled combatants the opportunity to catch them off-guard. Likewise, those who also possess shadow-based intangibility can bypass the gap between themselves and the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer, leading both combatants to stand on the same plane. Interestingly, those who enter the realm of their own shadow are noted to have their senses momentarily enhanced to the highest degree. It is believed that the threat of an individual's darkness devouring them vastly enhances the natural instincts of a Dragon placed within the Dragon Slayer, leading them to successfully break through powers such as hypnosis and illusion through the sheer danger their own darkness poses overpowering any external influences on their senses. A Tenebrous Dragon Slayer's offensive power is built through creation and manipulation of shadows created within their body. Much like all other Dragon Slayers, the physiology of a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer has been adjusted to enable magical shadows to be produced from every single portion of their body. Likewise, they are capable of consuming external shadows and darkness to momentarily enhance their own power. Darkness of a particularly refined quality are even capable of enabling the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer to achieve Dragon Force. What truly defines a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer's consumption is its ability to indiscriminately devour any Magic it comes across. Shadows possess no limits to what goes within them. They are little more than a void, so-to-speak. As such, any Magic that one may cast towards the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer will be extinguished on sight, should the Dragon Slayer make direct contact with it. Of course, these other powers are incapable of fueling a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer. Instead, these external energies encounter the overwhelming darkness of a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer's shadow, and dissipate in face of its corrosive strength. Such corrosive power exists in every offensive technique in a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer's possession, for they call upon their own darkness in order to materialize shadows within their body. For this reason, extensive use of their power is detrimental to their psyche, and only a truly strong-willed individual may inherit this accursed strength. Araf's own strength and skill is said to eclipse all other potential Dragon Slayers of his element, for he was the sole individual to have regained control of his self following Kaliya's teachings. He is capable of seamlessly employing his abilities in any situation, with the majority of his spells being activated reflexively. His shadows possess incredible power, and the ability to corrode through any magical power is a fearsome one in the hands of someone as ferocious as Araf. However, despite his potential power reaching incredible heights, Araf purposefully restrains the strength he emits with his Dragon Slayer Magic, for the souls that occupy his body quiver in the excitement of Araf's exerting their power, and will seek any opportunity to devour his mind, body and soul. Accordingly, Araf fights very conservatively and with tact. The spells he makes use of enable him to swiftly react to new situations and defeat enemies within a limited period of time. Although he is not prone to using lethal force, Araf will not hesitate to do so if the time arises, considering his personal experience in fighting overwhelmingly ferocious entities. His extensive experience in battle, as well as the nature of his element, also makes him a perfect opponent for virtually any Dragon Slayer. To this end, even someone like Genghis Breningoch has taken to comically referring to him as the "Antithesis Dragon Slayer" (対極のドラゴンスレ, Taikyoku no Doragon Sureiyā). *'Tenebrous Dragon's Therion' (黒影竜の喰魔, Kokueiryū no Kūma; lit. "Devouring Demon") Quotes Trivia *Araf's theme is Nevereverland by Nano, translated lyrics found here. Creation and Conception Category:Males Category:Characters Category:Dragon Slayers Category:Dark Mages